The invention relates generally to hospital equipment, and more particularly to a cubicle bed for traumatically brain injured patients.
As traumatically brain injured patients emerge from coma, there may be transitory periods of agitation during which they pull at feeding tubes and intravenous catheters and thrash about. Such activity puts them at risk of injury, requiring the nursing staff to resort to some form of restraint.
These restraints fall generally into three categories. First, conventional physical restraints of body limbs and movement, such as the vest and wrist types, may be used to control behavior and prevent injury. However, these restraints are offensive to patients, families and staff and are also time consuming to apply and remove. Most hospital policies specify that, when using physical restraints, patients must be checked every 15 minutes to assess the restraint's continued need and proper use. Some studies have indicated that physical restraints, however, tend to increase the very behavior that is intended to be controlled.
Harmful agitation in the traumatically brain injured patient may also be managed by chemical means. However, cognitive recovery may be impaired by some chemicals due to sedation and disruption of the memory process, may inhibit the patient's ability to learn, and may lengthen the periods of agitation. Other chemical restraints may produce memory, attention and concentration disturbances. The use of pharmaceuticals to control such agitation has not been well studied nor has the effect of these drugs on cognitive recovery been thoroughly investigated.
A third form of restraint for traumatically brain injured patients is to provide a modified environment that allows for safe expression of the behavior. One early device was used at Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado. The Craig device resembles a large padded play pen in to which the client was placed free to thrash about. It was designed to control external audible and visible stimulation and to provide a safe environment for traumatically brain injured patients.
The present invention provides for a novel cubical bed separable into two generally equal halves and having openable and removable side portions made up of mating hinged removable doors, as well as removable end panels. The entire device is lockable together into an assembly which may be moved and transported and which allows for convenient alternate modes of access to the patient by medical staff.